St. JOHN’S, NL - College of the North Atlantic (CNA) will offer apprenticeship bursaries to women and indigenous students enrolled in apprenticeship-related trades programs thanks to a generous donation from the Hebron Project Employers’ Association.

The Hebron Project Skilled Trades Apprenticeship Bursary Program for Women and Indigenous Students, totalling $447,000, recognizes and supports indigenous and female students at CNA, as they begin their program of study within specified skilled trades programs and celebrate their accomplishments as they reach journeyperson status.

To be eligible, students need to be enrolled in a qualifying skilled trades program at CNA, who demonstrate financial need and strong academic standing within their program of study.

“The Hebron project provided apprentices with a valuable opportunity to develop their skills during the construction phase of the platform, and now relies on skilled tradespeople to support the project during the production phase,” said Carman Mullins, President of ExxonMobil Canada Ltd. “Hebron’s positive legacy of fostering education and training will continue by making skilled trades training accessible to more students.”

“The Hebron Project’s support for College of the North Atlantic has had a huge impact on our students’ ability to access programs and facilities to further their education in skilled trades,” said Hollett. “We welcome the generous support from this association, which will continue to foster growth and success for women and indigenous students seeking to build their careers through one of our many diverse skilled trades programs.”

“Skilled trades workers were instrumental to the construction of the Hebron platform,” said Steve Graves, HPEA executive director. “The Hebron employers are pleased to support training the province’s future skilled trades work force.”

This latest Hebron endowment comes from the Hebron Project Employers’ Association. It also brings the total Hebron support for the college to more than $3 million, including a $750,000 Hebron Diversity Endowment Fund, as well as $2 million to establish the Hebron Process Operations and Applied Research Laboratory located at CNA's Seal Cove campus and the Hebron Process Analyzers Laboratory at the Ridge Road, which were announced in 2011.

About Hebron - ExxonMobil Canada Properties (35.5 percent) is the operator of the Hebron project. Its co-venturers are Chevron Canada Limited (29.6 percent), Suncor Energy Inc. (21 percent), Equinor Canada Ltd. (9.0 percent) and Nalcor Energy-Oil and Gas Inc. (4.9 percent). In June 2017, the completed Hebron platform was towed to its offshore location, 350 kilometres southeast of St. John’s and began producing oil on November 27, 2017. For more information about the Hebron project visit www.hebronproject.com.

About Hebron Project Employers’ Association (HPEA) - The Hebron Project Employers’ Association (HPEA) was a not for profit corporation formed as the unifying voice of the employers working at the Bull Arm work site during construction of the Hebron Project. It assisted with the administration of the collective agreement and managing labour relations. With the construction phase of the project completed, the HPEA has concluded its affairs and dissolved the entity.